Translation: Its importance and pitfalls

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Every language is a world. Without translation, we would inhabit parishes bordering on silence. The significance of translation is obvious as it opens up new vistas of understanding and helps global interaction. With communication technology breaking new grounds, translation assumes all the more importance. Moreover, it is the only medium through which one can understand different cultures and know the works of other languages.

But there is a catch. Translation from one language to another is not without pitfalls. A major problem one encounters in translation is reproduction of the original not just in letter but in spirit as well. Often a word in one language seldom has an equivalent word in another. Most translations appear a pale copy of the original as they fail to convey what the author actually wants to say. There are either errors, slips or reshaping of the original text. As somebody remarked translation is like a woman: if she is faithful, she is not beautiful and if she is beautiful, she is not faithful.

There is an woeful lack of professional translators in India. Translation doesn't mean replacing one word with another. The translated versions should match to the level of an educated native speaker besides conveying the wider context and meaning in the target language. With everything going online today, companies are increasingly depending on translation to boost their businesses. Be it  traditional brick and mortar business or online ventures, everyone is in need of translation service to reach the global audience. Especially for companies which have their offices in different countries, the importance of translation in the preferred language to share information is imperative. Be it education, science and technology, literature, tourism, religion or trade the importance of translation can't be over emphasised. Of late a whole new market of digital documentation and software translation has emerged. It is the most lucrative thing in the job market today provided one is professional to the core.

Another emerging market for translation is cinema. Since films and other art forms have global appeal, most film producers are going in for subtitled films to generate money. There are big bucks and fame not just for the film producers but also those who do translation. This apart translators also have a key role to play in external affairs of a country. World leaders and diplomats often interact with their counterparts in their own language and it is for translators to help bridge the communication gap.

But there is a shortage of good interpreters in both foreign and Indian languages. In recent times there is a spurt in global engagements with increase in visits of foreign dignitaries. The Government of India is also feeling the need for well versed interpreters who can do effective translation from Hindi to other languages since the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, prefers to speak in Hindi at most of his international visits and addresses.

This has led to a mushroom growth of translation services. What they do is to offer professional language translation service to those looking for a foothold in foreign countries. The BRIC countries  - India, China, Russia, Brazil - have emerged as the new business destinations adding to the importance of quality translation services.

Of course the significance of translation in the field of education has always been there. When the seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, established the Osmania University in 1918 the first thing he did was to set up the Translation Bureau to translate foreign and regional language text books pertaining to sciences, literature and arts into Urdu language. The Darul Tarjuma as it was called translated sufficient number of volumes within a short period for the university to commence work. Eminent writers from all over the country were invited to attempt this Herculean task.

Dairatul Maarif, the ancient bureau for research and publication, is another important institution where rare books are being translated. Established in 1888 during the reign of the 6th Nizam, Mir Mahboob Ali Khan,  Dairatul Maarif holds a singular position not only in the subcontinent but the world over. Its main objective is to search and secure rare and unpublished manuscripts of Arabic works pertaining to the period between the 6th and 14th century – the golden age of Islamic hegemony.

Over the years it has been procuring, transcribing, collating, editing and publishing rare Arabic manuscripts of prominent scholars belonging to the classical era of Islam. Almost all its publications are of seminal importance and serve as an indispensable source for research.

Despite funds and staff crunch, Dairatul Maarif has managed to publish more than 240 rare books running into over 800 volumes over the years. They deal with subjects like literature, fine arts, history, culture, surgery, medicine, ophthalmology, jurisprudence, lexicography, sufism, philosophy, Quranic commentaries, Hadith, Fiqh, metaphysics, mathematics, geography, and astronomy.

Recently it translated classical books on medicine, metaphysics, music, and geology from Arabic to English thanks to the keen interest taken by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India. One of the books, Kitab Al-Haawi Fl-Al-Tibb, is the most comprehensive book on medicine. This Arabic treatise authored by Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Zakariya Al Razi more than 500 years ago is now available in English. Other books translated are: Risalah Fi-Al-Musiqa (book of music), Munazaraat Polemics (debates between Imam Ar-Razi and others) and Kitab Al-Kawn Wa Al-Fasaad (the book of universe and its disorders). These books are not simply rare but are not available anywhere.

However, the Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) set up in 1998 with the express purpose of offering academic programmes in Urdu, has not been so successful. From day one the university is finding it difficult to translate course books from English and other language into Urdu. The insufficiency or rather unavailability of essential books in a wide range of subjects has been a stumbling block in the way of teaching and learning. Till date MANUU has been able to publish just 50 odd books in Urdu. Its Vice Chancellor, Mohammed Aslam Parvaiz, has recently gone on record that the university doesn't have good translators. Though it is a Urdu university, it is taking the help of outside experts to translate course material. That explains the paucity of quality translators.

The National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) is also keen on translating children literature from regional languages into Urdu. But for want of good Urdu writers, who are well conversant with regional languages, it is not able to realise its dream. NCPUL wants to translate short stories, social sciences, history and other such subjects pertaining to children into Urdu. It is prepared to suitably reward good writers.

Having a grip over one or two foreign languages is of utmost importance these days. It offers a competitive edge in job market especially with rise in demand for language experts. Will machine translation ever replace humans? Never. It will displace only those who translate like machine.

J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in Viswanadha Jayanti, 

a multi-lingual quarterly journal of literature, culture and education ,

July-December 2019 issue